Older women's perceptions of ideal body weights: the tensions between health and appearance motivations for weight loss

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 751-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Ideal Body ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health Risks And Benefits

This paper explores older women's evaluations of their weight as well as the perceived merits and detriments of weight gain and weight loss in later life. Using data from semi-structured interviews with 22 community-dwelling women aged 61 to 92 years, I examine the meanings that the women attribute to dieting, desired body weights and obesity. The women frequently offer unsolicited accounts for why they have gained or lost weight over time, and disclose their perceptions of and reasons for needing to alter their current body weights. I probe the tensions between weight loss for health concerns versus appearance goals. The women express dissatisfaction with their weight gain in terms of their physical appearance. However, they also tend to describe the need to lose weight in terms of health risks and benefits rather than in terms of approximating the beauty ideal or achieving a desired body size and shape. Health tends to be described as a valid justification for being concerned with one's weight, while an appearance orientation is deemed to be indicative of vanity. Many of the women suggest that while the health benefits of weight loss are often the stated reason for losing weight, the perceived appearance dividends are the key motivation behind altering one's body weight in later life.

Beauty in Later Life: Older Women's Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Hurd Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Fashion Models ◽  
Beauty Ideals ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTUsing data from 96 hours of semi-structured interviews with women aged 61 to 92, this paper explores the meanings that older women attribute to beauty and aging. The women in my study tend to equate physical attractiveness with youthfulness and slimness. However, they reject the extremes of thinness embodied in today's fashion models and actresses. Even as they disparage obese individuals, the women argue that thin older women appear scrawny. The women express a preference for more rounded female bodies than current beauty standards allow and emphasize the importance of inner beauty. While some women view their wrinkles negatively, others suggest that their facial creases are badges of honour. I argue that older women do not simply internalize beauty ideals to the detriment of their sense of self. Rather, older women resist and challenge current ideals of feminine attractiveness and suggest alternative beauty ideals and definitions of personal desirability.

scholarly journals Depression-related weight change and incident diabetes in a community sample

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Graham ◽  
Tristan Watson ◽  
Sonya S. Deschênes ◽  
Kristian B. Filion ◽  
Mélanie Henderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Increased Risk

AbstractThis cohort study aimed to compare the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adults with depression-related weight gain, depression-related weight loss, depression with no weight change, and no depression. The study sample included 59,315 community-dwelling adults in Ontario, Canada. Depression-related weight change in the past 12 months was measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview—Short Form. Participants were followed for up to 20 years using administrative health data. Cox proportional hazards models compared the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adults with depression-related weight change and in adults with no depression. Adults with depression-related weight gain had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to adults no depression (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.32–2.20), adults with depression-related weight loss (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.09–2.42), and adults with depression with no weight change (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.03–1.86). Adults with depression with no weight change also had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those with no depression (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04–1.45). Associations were stronger among women and persisted after adjusting for attained overweight and obesity. Identifying symptoms of weight change in depression may aid in identifying adults at higher risk of type 2 diabetes and in developing tailored prevention strategies.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Motivations for Participating in a “Tune-Up” of Their Driving Skills: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482098241
Author(s):  
Ruheena Sangrar ◽  
Kyung Joon Mun ◽  
Lauren E. Griffith ◽  
Lori Letts ◽  
Brenda Vrkljan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Older Drivers ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Driver Training ◽  
Near Misses ◽  
Driving Experience

Driver training has the potential to keep older adults safe behind-the-wheel for longer, yet there is limited evidence describing factors that influence their willingness to participate in training. Focus groups with community-dwelling older drivers ( n = 23; 70–90 years) and semi-structured interviews with driving instructors ( n = 6) and occupational therapists ( n = 5) were conducted to identify these factors. Qualitative descriptive analyses highlighted how self-awareness of behind-the-wheel abilities in later life can influence an older adult’s motivation to participate in driver training, as well as their willingness to discuss their behaviors. Collision-involvement and near-misses prompted participants to reflect on their driving abilities and their openness to feedback. Participants’ preferences for learning contexts that use a strengths-based approach and validate the driving experience of older drivers, while providing feedback on behind-the-wheel performance, were raised. Older driver training initiatives that consider the needs of the aging population in their design can promote road safety and community mobility.

Growth and seasonal weight changes as they relate to spring and autumn set points in mule deer

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 744-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyle A. Renecker ◽  
W. M. Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Mule Deer ◽  
Odocoileus Hemionus ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Compensatory Gain ◽  
Highly Correlated

Growth rate and potential, 25 hand-reared mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) were examined. When possible, body weights of all animals were recorded weekly. Female deer matured faster than males, but males attained a larger body size. Regressions of winter weight loss of both sexes on peak autumn weight were highly correlated. Similarly, spring and summer compensatory gain in females could be predicted from the minimum spring weight. Annual cycles of intake and weight gain may have adaptations that improve reproductive success and winter survival.

scholarly journals Obesity, stigma and reflexive embodiment: Feeling the ‘weight’ of expectation

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oli Williams ◽  
Ellen Annandale
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Obesity Stigma ◽  
Group Members

The dominant obesity discourse which emphasises individual moral responsibility and lifestyle modification encourages weight-based stigma. Existing research overwhelmingly demonstrates that obesity stigma is an ineffective means by which to reduce the incidence of obesity and that it promotes weight-gain. However, the sensate experiences associated with the subjective experience of obesity stigma as a reflexively embodied phenomenon have been largely unexamined. This article addresses this knowledge gap by providing a phenomenological account. Data are derived from 11 months of ethnographic participant observation and semi-structured interviews with three single-sex weight-loss groups in England. Group members were predominantly overweight/obese and of low-socio-economic status. The analysis triangulates these two data sources to investigate what/how obesity stigma made group members feel. We find that obesity stigma confused participant’s objective and subjective experiences of their bodies. This was primarily evident on occasions when group members felt heavier after engaging in behaviours associated with weight-gain but this ‘weight’ did not register on the weighing scales. We conceptualise this as the weight of expectation which is taken as illustrative of the perpetual uncertainty and morality that characterises weight-management. In addition, we show that respondents ascribed their sensate experiences of physiological responses to exercise with moral and social significance. These carnal cues provided a sense of certainty and played an important role in attempts to negotiate obesity stigma. These findings deepen the understanding of how and why obesity stigma is an inappropriate and ineffective means of promoting weight-loss.

scholarly journals Body Weight Variation Patterns as Predictors of Cognitive Decline over a 5 Year Follow-Up among Community-Dwelling Elderly (MAPT Study)

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1371
Author(s):  
Kelly Giudici ◽  
Sophie Guyonnet ◽  
Yves Rolland ◽  
Bruno Vellas ◽  
Philipe de Souto Barreto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
First Year ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Weight Variation ◽  
Variation Patterns

This study aimed to analyze associations between weight variation patterns and changes in cognitive function and hippocampal volume among non-demented, community-dwelling elderly. Sample was formed of 1394 adults >70 years (63.9% female), all volunteers from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT). Weight loss was defined as ≥5% of body weight decrease in the first year of follow-up; weight gain as ≥5% of weight increase; and stability if <5% weight variation. Cognition was examined by a Z-score combining four tests. Measures were assessed at baseline, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of follow-up. Hippocampal volume was evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging in 349 subjects in the first year and at 36 months. Mixed models were performed. From the 1394 participants, 5.5% (n = 76) presented weight loss, and 9.0% (n = 125) presented weight gain. Cognitive Z-score decreased among all groups after 5 years, but decline was more pronounced among those who presented weight loss (adjusted between-group mean difference vs. stable: −0.24, 95%CI: −0.41 to −0.07; p = 0.006). After 3 years, hippocampal atrophy was observed among all groups, but no between-group differences were found. In conclusion, weight loss ≥5% in the first year predicted higher cognitive decline over a 5 year follow-up among community-dwelling elderly, independently of body mass index.

scholarly journals Age-associated changes in hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular function in middle-aged and older men are modified by weight change and lifestyle factors: longitudinal results from the European Male Ageing Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 168 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
E M Camacho ◽  
I T Huhtaniemi ◽  
T W O'Neill ◽  
J D Finn ◽  
S R Pye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Lifestyle Modifications ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Hpt Axis

ObjectiveHealth and lifestyle factors are associated with variations in serum testosterone levels in ageing men. However, it remains unclear how age-related changes in testosterone may be attenuated by lifestyle modifications. The objective was to investigate the longitudinal relationships between changes in health and lifestyle factors with changes in hormones of the reproductive endocrine axis in ageing men.DesignA longitudinal survey of 2736 community-dwelling men aged 40–79 years at baseline recruited from eight centres across Europe. Follow-up assessment occurred mean (±s.d.) 4.4±0.3 years later.ResultsPaired testosterone results were available for 2395 men. Mean (±s.d.) annualised hormone changes were as follows: testosterone −0.1±0.95 nmol/l; free testosterone (FT) −3.83±16.8 pmol/l; sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) 0.56±2.5 nmol/l and LH 0.08±0.57 U/l. Weight loss was associated with a proportional increase, and weight gain a proportional decrease, in testosterone and SHBG. FT showed a curvilinear relationship to weight change; only those who gained or lost ≥15% of weight showed a significant change (in the same direction as testosterone). Smoking cessation was associated with a greater decline in testosterone than being a non-smoker, which was unrelated to weight change. Changes in number of comorbid conditions or physical activity were not associated with significant alterations in hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular (HPT) axis function.ConclusionsBody weight and lifestyle factors influence HPT axis function in ageing. Weight loss was associated with a rise, and weight gain a fall, in testosterone, FT and SHBG. Weight management appears to be important in maintaining circulating testosterone in ageing men, and obesity-associated changes in HPT axis hormones are reversible following weight reduction.

Shades of grey: to dye or not to dye one's hair in later life

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1011-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
ALEXANDRA KOROTCHENKO
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
White Hair ◽  
Doing Gender ◽  
Hair Dye ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Grey Hair ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Look ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThis article examines older women's perceptions of grey, white and coloured hair. Using data from in-depth interviews with 36 women aged 71–94 years (mean 79), we elucidate the women's attitudes towards and reasons for dyeing or not dyeing their hair. The majority of our participants disparaged the appearance of grey hair, which they equated with ugliness, dependence, poor health, social disengagement and cultural invisibility. The women were particularly averse to their own grey hair, and many suggested that other women's grey hair was acceptable, if not attractive. At the same time, half of the women liked the look of snowy white hair, which they associated with attractiveness in later life as well as with goodness and purity. While one-third of the women had begun to dye their hair in their youth so as to appear more fashionable, two-thirds continued to dye their hair in later life so as to mask their grey hair and their chronological age. The women suggested that they used hair dye to appear more youthful and to resist ageist stereotypes associated with older women. We discuss the findings in relation to previous research concerning older women's hair, the concept of doing gender, and theories pertaining to ageism.

scholarly journals Association of Weight Loss from Early to Middle Adulthood and Incident Hypertension Risk Later in Life

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2622
Author(s):  
Yunping Zhou ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Xin Yin ◽  
Yun Sun ◽  
Wei Jie Seow
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Middle Adulthood ◽  
Incident Hypertension

Background: The effect of obesity in early adulthood and weight loss on incident hypertension in older age has not been well characterized. This study aimed to examine the association of weight loss from young adulthood to midlife with risk of incident hypertension later in life. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Five weight change groups were categorized: stable normal, weight loss, weight gain, maximum overweight and stable obese. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the association between weight change and risk of hypertension in later life were estimated using Cox regression models. Results: Compared with participants who maintained normal weight, the stable obese, weight gain, maximum overweight and weight loss groups exhibited significantly higher risks of incident hypertension, with HR of 3.28 (95% CI = 2.71 to 3.96), 2.93 (95% CI = 2.62 to 3.28), 1.76 (95% CI = 1.55 to 2.00) and 1.97 (95% CI = 1.17 to 3.31), respectively. We also observed a lower risk among those in the weight loss group (HR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.35 to 1.02) compared with those who were stable obese. Conclusions: Weight loss from early to middle adulthood was associated with lower risk of incident hypertension as compared to those who stayed obese and higher risk of incident hypertension as compared to those who maintained normal weight. Thus, maintaining normal weight throughout adulthood may be important for the primary prevention of hypertension.

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